The present invention relates to vibratory sheet joggers which are used to orderly align sheets, such as paper, in a stack.
Paper joggers are known for aligning paper and card stock in a vertical or horizontal stack. A number of vibrating paper jogger models are manufactured by FMC Corporation, Material Handling Equipment, of Homer City, Pa. For example, the Syntron(copyright) model J-1 Single Bin Vibrating Paper Jogger includes a single bin which is tipped rearwardly and which is configured to align paper sheets and other paper grades in a vertical stack. The single bin is mounted on a base component which contains a vibratory device. The vibratory device includes an electromagnet mounted to the base component and an armature mounted to the bin. A rheostat controls the amplitude of vibration of the bin for the grade and size of stock to be handled. The vibration direction is oriented vertically with a magnetic gap being vertically disposed. The bin and armature connected thereto can be mounted on leaf springs with respect to the base component.
Syntron(copyright) J-50 Paper Jogger includes a multiple pocket tilted rack mounted above a base component. The base component includes a base plate which mounts an electromagnet and a plurality of rubber mounts. The rubber mounts extend from the base plate and support a cover component. The cover component has an armature attached thereto which is vibrated by magnetic force from the electromagnet. The cover vibrates via the rubber mounts with respect to the base plate. The rack is mounted directly to the cover component. This device utilizes a vertical line of vibratory force with a vertical adjustable air gap.
Syntron(copyright) Jogger model TJ-2 includes a multiple pocket, tilt rack mounted on a base component. The base component includes a slightly tilted, substantially horizontally arranged line of vibratory force having a slightly tilted, substantially horizontal air gap. The rack is mounted to the base component via rubber mounts. The vibrational amplitude can be adjusted by turning a rheostat knob on the front of the base component.
Although these models produce effective paper and sheet jogging results, the present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a sheet or paper jogging device that has a small overall size, that is easily and quickly operated, that is aesthetically pleasing in overall appearance, and that comprises a simple, low cost design.
The present invention provides an improved jogging device for aligning sheets, such as sheets of paper or envelopes, that is particularly suited for smaller stacks of sheets, than the prior known jogging devices. The jogging device of the present invention provides a layout that accommodates a compact housing. The jogging device requires a reduced desk or table space for operation. The vibrational driver of the jogging device of the invention can be fashioned to have low power consumption and low noise production. The arrangement of the jogging device requires no amplitude adjustment, is self cleaning, and has low maintenance requirements. The jogging device can be economically produced at a low cost.
The exemplary embodiment of a jogging device according to the invention includes a housing having a base plate providing a support surface for electronic components, and a frame mounted to the base plate and having appurtenances or plates for mounting components. A rack for holding a stack of sheets is mounted to the frame via shear spring members. The frame includes a front face tilted rearwardly in an upward direction from the base plate wherein the rack is mounted over the front face and assumes a similar tilting angle.
A drive spring comprises an elongated spring plate of a material, such as steel, that is movable by a magnet, fixed at a base end to an appurtenance adjacent a rear of the housing. The spring plate extends obliquely upwardly from the base end toward the rack, the spring plate being approximately perpendicular to the inclination of the rack. An electromagnet is positioned below the spring plate and has a magnetic direction approximately perpendicular to the spring plate, with a pole of the electromagnet positioned close to the spring plate.
A plate-like manual activation lever extends forwardly of the base plate, beneath the rack for easy, mistake free activation and de-activation of the jogging device. When device electronics are activated by the manual activation lever, the electromagnet is driven in oscillating fashion, i.e., on-off fashion repeatedly with a pulsating direct current. The drive spring is oscillated by magnetic force in cantilever bending fashion about its base end to reciprocate the rack along a direction which follows the inclination of the front face of the frame. Sheets of paper, envelopes, or other materials which are placed vertically in the rack at the rearward tilting angle, are vibrated to be aligned along bottom and rear edges thereof, within the rack.
A cover is closely fitted around the frame, down to the base plate, and provides an aesthetically pleasing overall appearance to the jogging device. Because of the angular arrangement of the electromagnet and the drive spring the rear face of the frame and cover can be angled downwardly in a rearward direction, providing an aesthetically pleasing wedge-shaped appearance and achieving an overall compact design, requiring a reduced desk or table space.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.